Fatal attraction

why are mosquitoes and other winged creatures partial to pregnant women? While scientists always suspected that it is something to do with one's skin or more specifically its secretions -- emitting odour -- supportive evidence could not be unearthed until recently.

Sure shot!

when the malaria parasite multiplies, each of the replica may contain a different protein signature to prevent the immune system from wiping out all the them. This is tantamount to an insurance policy taken out by the parasite. The consequence would be an increased capacity for invasiveness and a continuing ability to maintain an infection for a long period, while the immune system keeps battling against one or the other variant separately.

Letting go a good thing

Bureaucracy has no idea about health care trends

On the state of viral diseases in India: Interviewee:  T JACOB JOHN

Wings of change

WHAT is common to syringes and mosquitoes? Both, to a point, perform similar functions: piercing the skin and drawing blood. But syringes, unlike mosquitoes, do not infect us with diseases. Malaria, filariasis, dengue... spread thanks these winged pests. However, researchers are now trying to genetically alter mosquitoes so that they become incapable of transmitting these diseases.

Kolar: The dilemma continues

mrc 's scientists demonstrated a dramatic fall in malaria incidence just by applying larvivorous fishes in water bodies in Kolar, Karnataka. After six years of innovative work in Kolar, the mrc is continuing its efforts, wondering what will happen after they wind up operations. "State officials are excited and happy about our work, but it is difficult to say if they will continue it," says V P Sharma.

Hassan: Holding on

The Banavara primary health centre ( phc ) in district Hassan, Karnataka, recorded 8,028 malaria cases in 1995. Reason: the high percentage of migrant labourers from Andhra Pradesh who work as stone cutters in the Chikkur railway line conversion project. In 1995, the mrc expanded its work in Kanakatte and Banavara phc s. Hassan is relatively well-off in economic terms.

Needed: People's participation

What do the field experiences tell us? Firstly, bioenvironmental management can be a working alternative to contain malaria. The science of the methodology is sound. Secondly, the efforts of the mrc and the vcrc proved to be successful in the short term but failed in the long term due to severe inability of the state governments' institutional set up to create community-based institutions to carry forward the pioneering work.

The only viable solution

It is very interesting to compare the costs of carrying out bioenvironmental control measures and chemical spray ing. "It is the cheapest way of preventing malaria, cheaper even than DDT," confirms V P Sharma, director, Malaria Research Centre, New Delhi. "And on a national basis, it will turn out even cheaper," he adds.

Goa: Back to square one